Top-tree for shoes.



J. N. MAYHEW.

TOP TREE FOR SHOES.

APPLICATION man OCT. 23. 1916.

25% 3. 33, Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES N.- MAYHZElW, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB To -JAMES N.MAYHnw COMPANY, 1nd, or MINNnAroLIs'MrNNnsorA, A CORPORATION OFMINNESOTA. V Y

TOP-TREE FOR SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 23, 1916. Serial No. 127,122.

2" 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES N. MAYHEW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTop-Trees for Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to top trees for shoes; and. to this end, itconsists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafterdescribed and defined in the claims.

The invention is designed for use in connection with shoes, on displayin windows or elsewhere, and has for its object to pro vide means forholding up or supporting the top of a shoe and its tongue in order togive the shoe on display, a smooth and neat appearance.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the' several views.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoehaving the invention applied therein;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shoe with some parts broken away toexpose the invention applied therein; and

Fig. 3 is a View principally in plan with some parts sectioned on theline 3-8 of Fig. 2.

The device comprises a revoluble post 1, a head 2, front arm 3, and areararm 4. The post 1 is provided with a conical lower end 5 adapted toengage the insole of a shoe Z and aifords the pivot on which said post 1revolves. The upper end of the post 1 is squared at 6 to receive awrench or key, not shown, by which the post 1 may be revolved. Screwthreads 7 are formed on the post 1 throughout its entire length betweenthe conical point 5 and squared upper end 6.

The head 2 has screw-threaded engagement with the post 1 and may bevertically adjusted by revolving said post. The for ward end of the head2 is bifurcated at 8 and the lower end of the arm 3 is inserted betweenthe prongs thereof and pivoted shown, the arm 4 is integrally formedwith the head 1, at a diametrically opposite point from the bifurcation8 and projects upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. On the upper end ofthe arm 4 is an upwardly and rearwardly projecting barb 9 adapted toenter the top of the shoe Z at the back thereof. A pair of upwardlydiverging barbs 10 are rigidly secured to the upper end of the arm 3 andextend transversely of the head 2. These barbs 10 are. adapted to beinserted through the tongue of the shoe Z and into the upper pair ofeyelets in the top of said shoe.

With the barbs 9 and 10 engaging the shoe top as described, the post maybe rotated to elevate the head 2, which is held against rotation by theengagement of said barbs with the shoe. Under the elevating movement ofthe head 2, produced by rotating the post 1, which is supported on thesole of the shoe as a base of resistance, the top of the shoe isstretched from top to bottom and the lon gitudinal edges thereof heldparallel. the same time the tongue of the shoe is stretched lengthwiseand held folded, by the arm 3 and prongs 10, between the par allel sidesof the shoe top. The elevating movement of the head 2 also causes thearm 3 to swing outwardly. thereby stretching the shoe top longitudinallyof the shoe. With the shoe top and tongue thus held,'the shoe is given asmooth and neat appearance for display purposes and at the same'time thedevice is entirely concealed within the shoe.

The above described device, while extremely simple and of comparativelysmall cost to manufacture, is easy to apply in working position orremove therefrom and in actual usage has proven highly efficient for thepurpose had in view.

What I claim is l. A top tree for shoes comprising a post and a headvertically adjustable thereon, said head having a pair of rigid armswith barbs arranged to engage a shoe top, one of said arms beingintegrally formed with said head and the other thereof being securedthereto for vertical swinging movement.

2. A top tree for shoes comprising a post and a head verticallyadjustable thereon, said head having a pair of rigid arms, one of saidarms being integrally formed with Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

head and provided with a barb arranged to engage ashoe top at the backthereof, and the other of said arms being secured to the head forvertical swinging movement and having a pair of upwardly diverging barbearranged to engage opposite sides of the shoe top at the from thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES N. MAYHEWV.

Witnesses i EVA E. KGNIG,

HARRY D. KILGORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressingthe Commissioner a! Patents.

'Washington, D. C.

